Emergency exit door lock



March 7, 1944.' c. A. BALCH 2,343,519

EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR LOCK Filed April 14, 1942 :s sheets-sheet 1 y 75 l lYVE/YTOR..

0 79 57667 778;,5 2? 355/ 20 CUF/:0m: f4. 9A/.CM

/ Arron/Yew Mmh 7,1944.l A, BALCH 2,343,519

EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR LOCK Filed April 14, 1942 5 Sheets-'Sheet 2 Cz/ffoaA54M c/f,

March 7, 1944. c. A. BALCH.

EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR LOCK Filed April 14, 1942 l s sheetsisheet s sgg..

ATTOR/YEK Patented Mar. 7, 1944 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE? ,1

EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR. LOCK Clifford A. Balch, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 14, 1942, Serial No. 438,886 v claims. (el. '29e-21)This invention relates to emergency exit door locks.

The present invention contemplates the provision of locking mechanismfor a swing door and wherein, when the door is approached from insidethe building, the depression of a certain member unlocks the door.Approach to the door exterior thereof does not unlock the door, the doorrequiring either a key to operate the locking mechanism, or some form ofcombination release.

The door release mechanism of the invention is of use in theatres, andin other public buildings where, in case of fire, instant exit outsideof the building is afforded.

The invention has for an object the provision of an emergency exit doorlock which is foolproof in construction, of minimum parts, inexpensivein cost of manufacture, easily installed, parts not subject to breakageunder ordinary use, and which is lgenerally superior to devices for thispurpose now known to the inventor.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an emergency doorlock which may be installed with any type of door, whether hinged orpivoted, and regardless of the number of doors, whether single or inpairs.

Another object is the provision of an emergency door lock which may belocked exterior the door and yet not interfere with the release of thelock from the interior of the door if an emergency arises.

With respect to the last named object, the mechanism for releasing thedoor lock is so constructed and arranged that depression of a platformoccasioned by walking thereover is sufiicient to release the lock fromthe inside of the door without in any manner interfering with the lockedcondition of said door occasioned by locking the same from the exteriorthereof. In other words, after the lock has been released by depressionof the platform, closing of 4,the door again restores its lockedcondition so far as the exterior of the door is concerned, with theresult that unauthorized entrance through said door and into'thebuilding is prevented. v

Another object is the provision of novel means operating in conjunctionwith the lock bolt to prevent unauthorized retraction of said bolt bythe insertion of any instrumentality beneath the edge of the door forthe purpose of retracting the bolt.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction,association, and relative arrangement of parts, members and features,all as shown in certainy embodiments in the accompanying .drawings,described generally, and more specificallypointed out' in the c1aims,

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional Figure 5, Y

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detailfsimilanto Figure 1, showing certain ofthemechanism-in changed position, i

Figure 3 is a sectional view on of Figure l, f

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectionalv View on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,and, f

Figure 5 is a-'sectional'view on the Figure 1. l v-: H

Referring now tothe drawings, -Ihave vshown at I'a door which may beconstructedin f-Yany manner, although in the presentinstance, the saiddoor is of glass and provided at'` thetop and bottom thereofwith-members V2 and 3. These members in turnfare arranged vto carry'upper and lower pivots ortrunnions 4l and 5, which in Aturn are iittedwithin `journals carried vby the head jamb 6 andthesill or threshold 1-.yIn thismanner, the said door may swing in two directions. The doormaybe-otherwise mounted, as isself'- evident, and I do not confinemyself ,to a glass door. The members Zand 3 carried by the door areidentical'in construction and includedouble channel portions 8 and 9provided with an intermediate base piece IU. A-portion of the door isconfined within the channel'portion 9, while the other channel .portion8, is adapted tobe engaged, eitheras to a leg thereof or withinthechannel, by a bolt orvflatch ofvsomecharacter, to be described. As iscustomary practice, the door is within a door frame, which includes theIjambs II-andl2, as well as the head jamb 6 and the threshold or sill 1.

Specifically, thus-.invention has to do with 'mechanism forlockingthedoorclosed, both exteriorly thereof and interiorly,.in such a manner-thatthe door may be automaticallyunlocked when any one approaches thedoor at the inner side thereof. Referring to Figure 1, it is -assumedthat the exterior of the door is indicated-at I Sand. the in.- terior atI4. -The interior of the door faces Within a room, hallway,alcove,aisle, or other struc:- ture, and there is provided on theinterior and adjacent the threshold 'I a well-I5 formed in the flooringI6. In the present instance, vthe drawings depict a concrete`flooringalthough itis obvious that ordinary Wood construction maybe viewon theme 1-'fori the' liine---a resorted to, in which instance, the wellwould be included between the floor stringers. The floor surface isindicated at I1, and the approach to the sill or threshold 1 from thelevel of the floor surface I1 to the rear I4 of the door is over aplatform I8, which platform overlies the well I5. In the presentinstance, a pan I9 is fitted within the well and includes a base member20 provided with end members 2|, 22, and sides 23, 24. Secured to the'end 2| is a member 25, constituting a fulcrum for one end of theplatform I8. This member 25 has its base portion 26 adapted to rest uponthe inner surface of the base 20 of the pan and an upright piece or prop21 formed with a V.shaped groove 28. The upright piece or prop issecured to the end' 2'I by means of a nut-bolt arrangement 29. Themember 25 is of extended length and lies between the sides 23 and 24, asindicated by dotted lines in Figure 3. The lever for the fulcrumconstitutes the member 30 secured beneath the platform I8 and adjacentthe end wall 2|. Member 30 maybe an angle iron with one of its legswithin the V- groove 28 of the prop 21. The end of the platform adjacentthe pan end 22 isv adapted to swing out of and within the confines ofthe well. However, in so swinging, certain mechanism of the invention isadapted to be actuated. This mechanism constitutes lock members actuatedby movement of the platform in a downward direction.

Secured to the base 29 is a casting 3| providedv with a journal block32. The casting also includes an extension 33 passed through aninterrupted or slotted portion 34l of the end wall 22. This extensionincludes a bumper or limiting stop member 35 for certain levermechanism, to be detailed, and a spaced pair of guides 36 and 31. Uponreference to Figure 3, it will be observed that the casting 3| isadjacent the side 24 of the pan and spaced directly opposite saidcasting, and adjacent4 the side 23 of the pan is a casting 38, includinga base 39 adapted to be secured to the base 20' in any suitable manner.Casting 38' is provided with a journal block 49 in alignment with thejournal block 32. A shaft 4I is carried between the journals of the twojournal blocks, with ends of said shaft extended beyond the journalblocks. This shaft at one end has secured thereto levers 42 and 43, andthe opposite end of the shaft has secured thereto levers 44 and 45.Levers 43 and 45 carry adjustable weights 46 and 41. The lever 42extends through the slot 34, and is received beneath the sill orthreshold 1. The portion of the lever beneath the threshold is forked orbifurcated, the furcations being indicated as 48 and 49. Said furcationstransversely straddle opposite sides' of the guides 3I'` and 31. Thelever is provided with a stop 50, which cooperates with stop 35 to limitdownward swing of the lever. Transversely spanning the free end of theplatform I8 and beneath the same is an angle member I, a leg ofv whichengages the top of levers 42 and 44. The Weights 46 and 41 are soadjusted on the levers 43' and 45 as to normally swing the platformabout4 its fulcrum point, as'shown in Figure 1`. 'I'hisswlnging'movement of the levers is limited by` one or more pins, one ofwhich is shown at 52 and carried'by the guide 36.

The locking mechanism per se includes a pair of bolts 53 and 54 whichare slotted along' their longitudinal edges at 55, 56, 51 and 58. Theslots aforesaid, however, terminate between the head and base of saidbolts, as indicated generally for both said bolts at 59 and 6U. Theguides 36 and 31 are provided with tongues 6| and 62 received in theslots 55 and 53. Adapted for placement between the two bolts and spacingthe two bolts apart is means 63 comprising a bar provided with tongues64 and 65 disposed on opposite surfaces of said bar, the said tonguesreceived in grooves 56 and 51. This bar is provided with a transversering 66 disposed between the base 60 of bolt 53, and the extension 33 atthe portion 61. Extension 33 is bored at 68 and 69 to receive ends ofcoil springs 10 and 1I. The bases of the bolts are likewise bored at 12and 13 to accommodate the upper ends of said springs, the springsnormally urging the bolts upwardly, said upward movement being limitedby the tongues 6I and 62, reaching the excursion of the slots 55 and 58,as see Figure 4. The coil spring 1| is passed through the ring 65. Thebar 63 is bored at 14 as is likewise the part 51 of the extension 33 at15, to accommodate therebetween a coil spring 16. This coil springnormally urges the bar upwardly between the two bolts 53 and 54.

Secured to the member 31 is a hook latch 11, this hook latch beingpivotally secured at 18 to member 31 with the hook portion 19 disposedbeneath the base Gil of bolt 53, the baise to this end being notched at80. This hook latch is substantially U-shaped at 8| (see Figure 3) andembraces three sides of the member 31. This construction gives stabilityto the latch. Passed through one wall 82 of the U-shaped portion 8| is apin 83, the pin being secured to the upright 31. Surrounding the pin andincluded between the part 82 and the head of said pin is a coil spring84. This coil spring normally urges the latch in one direction, to-wit,to cause the hook end to engage the notch 8U of the bolt 53. The side ofthe hook latch carries a cam member 85 constituting a strip of metaldiagonally carried on the side of the latch and in a position to beengaged by the outermost rounded end of the fui-cation 48. As the lever42 is depressed, the end of the furcation slides along the surface ofthe cam and swings the latch to disengage the hook from beneath the bolt53. Both bolts 53 and 54 carry pins 86 and 81 passed transverselythrough the bolts, with ends thereof extending beyond opposite sidesurfaces, as see Figure 3. The furcations 48 and 49 are adapted toengage these pins, the pin 81 being at a greater distance above the baseof its bolt than the pin 86 for the bolt 53. This construction isnecessary, due to the fact that the furcations normally engage the pin81 first, to move said bolt downwardly while the furcation 48 moves thelatch from engagement with the base of bolt 53 prior to engagement withthe pin 89 so that this bolt is freed before attempting to move the samedownwardly.

The threshold 1 is slotted at 68 to permit passage of the bolts 53 and54 and bar 63 thlerethrough.

Secured to the lever 44 is one end of a rod 89. This rod isscrew-threaded at 90 and is passed through an offset lever 9|, beingadjustably secured to said lever by means of nuts 92 and 93, threaded tosaid rod and positioned on opposite sides of said lever. Thisconstruction allows for adjustability of the rod. Also secured to thelever 9| is a rod 94. screw-threaded at 95, and held to said lever bymeans of nuts 96 and 91, positioned on opposite sides of the lever. Therod 94 is pivotally secured to one end of a bell crank 98, the bellcrank being intermediately pivotally secured to a bracket 99 positionedin the head jamb 6.l The opposite end of the bell crank has ypivotallysecured thereto a link |00, the link Ybeing pivotally secured to onelever of a fbell crank The bell crank |0| is pivotally secured to abracket |02 carried in the head jamb 6 andfparticularly the transversefinish piece or trim |03, which extends between the head jamb members|04 and |05. The bell crank 0| Vhas one arm|06 offset or spaced relativeto its other arm |01 through the medium of a transverse piece |08, asshown in Figure 2. 'I'he arm |01 is provided with a transverse pin |09.The bracket |02 is provided'with a guide casing for a slide bolt H0, thesaid bolt being transversely slotted at to receive the pin |09. Themember |03 is slotted at ||2 to permit passage of the head of the bolttherethrough and for reception in thechannel 8, as see Figure 1.

. Exterior the door and confined in the jamb |2 is a lock mechanism ||3.This may be a permutation lock, key lock, or otherwise, and includes ahandle I4 adapted to be hand-manipulated to rotate member ||5 when thelock is open and in turn move both links or rods 89 and 94 through themedium of lever 9| to lock the door closed or to throw the lock bymoving the upper and lower'bolts 0, 53 and 54.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention are as follows:

Viewing the arrangement of the mechanism, together withv the door asdepicted in Figure 1, one leg H6 of channel member 3 lies between thetwo bolts 53 and 54 and depresses the bar 63I to such position that thering or annulus 66 is out of engagement with the inclined or roundededge ||1 of the hook 19 of latch '|1. It is evident that the bolt 54acts as a stop and the bolt 53 as the latching element. The bolt has theusual beveled edge to permit ready retraction ofthe bolt when thechannel member 3 swings thereagainst. I first assume that the door islocked closed so that the handle ||4 cannot be moved externally of saiddoor. Upon approaching the door from the inward side thereof, to-wit,I4, and stepping upon the platform I8, the platform will be swungdownwardly so that the member 5| attached beneath the platform at itsfront edge will depress the two levers 42 and 44.

Depression of said levers is limited by the stops 35 and 59andcorresponding stops carried by the member 38 and lever 44. Movement ofthe lever 42 downwardly will cause movement of thestop bolt 54 due tothe forked or bifurcated end of said lever 42 engaging the pin 81 and assaid lever continues to move downwardly, the hook latch is swung out ofposition from beneath the bolt 53 by the end of the furcation 48engaging the cam member 85 prior to engagement by the furcations withthe pin 86. Upon engagement of the furcations with said pin 86, therewill be downward movement of the bolt 53 to release the leg ||6 of thechannel member 3. Downward movement of the bolts 53 and 54 compressessprings '|0 and 1|. The position of the bolts when retracted beneath thethreshold 1 is illustrated in Figure 2. Movement of the lever 44downwardly pulls the links or rods 89 and 94 to swing the lever 9|downwardly without, however, disturbing the lock I3.

This downward movement will rotate the bell crank 93 in a clockwisedirection and likewise rotate the bell crank |0| clockwise, due to linkconnection |00 between bell cranks 98 and |0|. This movement will causethe pin |09 to engage the upper Wall bounding the slot ini the upperbolt ||0 and raise the same from the position shown in Figure l to thatshown in Figure 2, that is to say, out of the channel 2, Thus, the dooris released and may be swung outwardly or inwardly. However, themovement would be outwardly under the present operation.

If we now assume that the platform is in the position shown in Figure 1,and the door locked, the door bolts may be released upon properoperation of the lock 3 and movement of the handle ||4 to rotate shaft||5 and cause downward movement of lever 9|, which will again rotate thebell cranks 98 and |0| in a clockwise direction, and depress lever 44,and due to r0- tation of said latter lever, the shaft 4| will be rotatedto move the arm or lever 42 downwardly, which will retract bolts 53 and54 from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2.

While I have shown counter-balance weights 46 and 41, it is obvious thatI may utilize any other means, such as springs, to maintain the levers42 and 44 so positioned as to raise the forward end of the platform whenthe platform is not sustaining a load.

If we assume that some unauthorized person desires to open the doorwithout engaging the lock ||3 and attempts to pry some instrumentbetween the lower edge of the channel member 3 and the bolt 53, nomovement of the bolt 53 will -occur due to the locking thereof againstmovement by the hook catch 11. It is not until lever 42 is depressed soas to cam the hook catch from beneath the base of bolt 53 that necessaryoperations result to release the bolts from keeper engagement, thekeepers being the channel members 2 and 3.

It is evident that a'door may be locked closed without the use of stlesto hold the door', in that the single bolt at the top of the doorengages thechannel member, and a leg of the channel member 3 at thebottom of the door-is positioned between the two bolts. A

If the door I is open and no load is upon lthe platform I8, the lowerbolts lmay rise `through the threshold and the upper bolt may bepositioned downward, as shown in Figure 1. In this case, the spring 16will urge the bar 63 upwardly so that an edge of the ring 66 will engagethe curved or beveled edge 19 .of the hook latch and move the same frombeneath the bolt 53. Thus, when the door is swung closed, the bolt 54will remain in its upward position, to-wit, above the surface of thethreshold, the leg ofthe channel member depressing the bolt 53. Thus,the bolt 54 acts as a stop member to stop movement of the door and thebolt 53 acts as the latch for the door. When a leg of the channel member is received between said bolts, the bar 63 is depressed so that thering is out of engagement with the hook latch whereupon, under influenceof the spring 84, the hook latch will again be positioned so that thehook end 19 thereof is within notch 80. So far as relationship betweenthe upper and lower bolts is concerned, it is evident that both thebolts 53 and |10 enter the channel members 2 and 3. It is furtherevident that both bolts have tapered ends so as to readily cam the boltswithin their respective housings as the door is closed and still permitthe bolts to again drop into proper position to latch the door closed.

The invention is not limited to glass doors provided with top and bottomchannel members, or to any particular type of door, as it may be wood ormetal; or to any particular number of doors. as it is evident that asingle platform may release many locks of the character described forseveral doors. f

It is evident that I might interconnect the various links or rods E9 and94 to the lever 42 in pla-ce of the lever 44, thus dispensing with saidlever. However, for nicety of balance, the arrangement shown in thedrawings has been found efficient.

In an authorized person operates the lock H3 and swings the handle H4 todepress the bolts 53, 54 and H0, the door may be swung inwardly in placeof outwardly. The person desiring to close the door is positioned uponthe platform, which holds the various bolts retracted so that the doormay again assume the position shown in Figure 1. If, however, the doorshould be moved without the operator thereof standing on the platform,one leg of the channel 3 would depress the bolt 54 downwardly so that achannel leg would be received in the space included between the twobolts were it not for the fact that the upper channel would engage thebolt I I2 and prevent this from occurring. Thus, a person attempting toclose the door would be advised of the fact that the lock should beoperated to retract the bolts and this could be readily accomplished bystanding on the platform so that when the door is moved properly to aclosed position, the lock bolts will engage the channel members, asshown in Figure 1. Ordinary door closers may be utilized with a door ofthis character, and further, the door need not be pivoted as shown inFigure 5, but may be hinged in the usual manner.

I claim:

1. The combination with a swinging door, of a well member at one side ofsaid door, a platform overlying said well member, means for iulcrumingthe platform at one end thereof, the opposite end being free to move; alever, means for mounting the same within said well member and beneaththe platform, the free end of said plat* form engaging said lever, meansnormally tending to rotate said lever and lift the free end of saidplatform, a bolt engageable with said door and with said lever, and ahook latch provided with a cam normally positioned beneath said bolt tohold said bolt in door engagement, the i said lever engageable with saidcam to move said hook lever from beneath said bolt when said platform isdepressed, whereby the bolt may be moved from door engagement.

2. The combination with a swinging door, of a pair of bolt membersnormally urged into door ara/regolo engagement to hold the door locked,a hook latch engageable beneath one of said bolts to *prevent movementthereof in one direction, and a latch release positioned between saidbolts and engageable with said hook latch to move said hook latch frombolt engagement.

3. A combination with a swinging door, of a pair of spaced apart boltmembers between which an edge of the door is adapted to be received tohold the door locked, a hook latch engageable beneath one of said boltmembers to prevent movement thereof in one direction, and a swinginglever for engagement with said hook latch to move said hook latch frombeneath said bolt member and to thereafter move both said bolt membersto release the door.

4. A combination with a swinging door, of a pair of spaced apart boltmembers normally urged into door engagement to hold the door locked, thesaid door when locked having an edge portion positioned between the pairof bolt members; a hook latch engageable beneath one of said boltmembers to prevent movement thereof in one direction, said hook latchprovided with a cam, a swinging lever for engagement with said cam tomove said hook latch from beneath said bolt, the swinging leverconstructed and arranged to move both said bolts to release the door,and a member positioned between the bolt members and having a portionfor engagement with the hook latch for maintaining said hook latch outof engagement with its bolt member when the bolts are released from doorengagement.

5. A combination with a swinging door, of a pair of bolt members betweenwhich a portion of the door is received for holding the door locked;resilient means for normally urging the bolt members into doorengagement; a hook latch engageable beneath one of said bolt members toprevent movement of said bolt from door engagement, a swinging lever forengagement with said hook latch to release the same from bolt engagementand permit movement of both bolts in one direction to release the door;a member positioned between the said bolts and resilient means forurging said member in one direction to bring the member into hook latchengagement and to maintain said hook latch from engagement with one ofthe bolts, moving the door for reception between the pair of boltmembers, depressing said last named member to release the hook latch andagain permit the hook latch to engage beneath one of the bolt members.

CLIFFORD A. BALCH.

